Say hello to your tech-smarts Tuesday! I love a good Wi-Fi name prank, but this? Flat-out idiotic. An American Airlines flight from Austin to Charlotte was delayed five hours after some bonehead renamed their phone’s hotspot to “There is a bomb on the flight.” The result? Absolute chaos. Every passenger and bag had to be pulled off the plane, rescreened and reloaded before they could finally take off.

Changing your hotspot name to “LAN of the Free” or “It hurts when IP?” Funny. Triggering a full-blown security scare? Not so much.

🤓 Free AI smarts: Do someone in your life a solid and share this link to my free AI book. It’s got 50 smart prompts you can start using today. Let’s get our people tech-ahead together! — Kim

I get so many calls during my national radio show and DMs from folks who think they’re being stalked. Sometimes, the person is seeing signs that aren’t there. Other times, it’s clear there’s something going on. It’s not surprising, given how easy it is for tech to watch someone’s movements.

The good news is you have me, and I know the exact settings creeps use to spy on you. Grab your phone and let’s dive in.

Start here, Apple folks

First, check Share My Location. You’ll see a list of the people who can follow your every move.

• Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Share My Location.

Pro tip: If you remove access, they’ll be notified. Take a screenshot of that list if you need to show it to the cops or someone else. Press and hold the right-side power button and the top volume button until you see a flash.

Now, if someone’s signed into your Apple ID, they could track you across everything that uses it. Let’s make sure no one’s in your account.

• Tap Settings > [your name], then scroll to the bottom to see a list of anything signed into your account. Hit the arrow on the right, then press Remove from Account to delete the ones you don't recognize.

✅ Hit this link for a quick security fix everyone who owns an iPhone should know.

On to you, Android crew

The easiest way for someone to spy is by logging into your Google account. This shows them your Maps history, location, searches and everything else. Yeesh.

• In your Google account, head to Security (left side). Scroll to Your devices and select Manage all devices. Click on one to see its info. You can Sign out at the bottom or press the three-dot icon.

Don’t recognize something? Sign out and change your password. Do this just in case.

One more check for everyone

It’s worth checking Google Maps, too, to see if your location was shared that way.

• Open Maps, tap your profile pic (top right) and hit Location sharing.
• If someone who shouldn’t be following you shows up, just tap their icon and press Stop.
• On that card, hit those three dots on the top right and select Remove from list.

Beep-beep! Hear a tracker?

Almost 10% of Americans have been stalked via GPS, like an Apple AirTag or another small gadget. If that’s not you, it’s someone you know. Here’s my checklist to protect yourself from carjackers.

🧑‍🔬 Phew, that was heavy. Let’s end with a smile, shall we? In the Old West, cowboys traveling in the dark used to tie a lantern to their horse's saddle to help them find their way. It was the first saddle-light navigation.

📖 Love reading? Want to spend less time scrolling and more time with a good book? I gotcha.

• If your 10-year-old Kindle is finally crapping out, the new Paperwhite is 16% off. The pages turn faster and the battery lasts longer.
• For comfier reading and working in bed, you need a nice lap pillow (5% off). It’s even got a pocket for your stuff.
• Some people swear by these — a $20 remote you wear as a ring. It connects to your phone or Kindle so you can swipe or move to the next page without moving.
• Bright white reading lights make my eyes hurt. This clip-on model (38% off) has natural and warm light options, too.
• Is tiny text causing you to squint? This page magnifier ($25) has so many good reviews!

📚 Now all you need is a new book. Dive into Amazon’s bestseller list to find your next page‑turner.

😡 Justice, served: This is horrifying. A woman received a webpage filled with deepfake porn of herself, along with detailed, disgusting fantasies, and the page included her phone number, address and other private info. She went into full detective mode. The culprit? A close friend from college. A judge threw the sicko in prison for nine years.

This is a Pisa work: Scammers created a deepfake voice of Italy’s defense minister to call big names like Giorgio Armani and Prada’s Patrizio Bertelli (paywall link). The fake minister said journalists had been kidnapped and they needed cash to pay the ransom. At least one fell for it, wiring over $1 million to scammers.

Almost three years after the iPad 10: Apple’s new base model iPad 11 is coming this spring with a chip upgrade from the A14 Bionic to A17 Pro (about 40% faster), double the RAM (4GB to 8GB) and Apple Intelligence. If you don’t care about AI, the 10th-gen iPad is 20% off right now.

💻 The nerd in me loves this: The world’s fastest supercomputer just went online at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The $600 million El Capitan is powered by 44,544 AMD chips. Its job is to secure the U.S. nuclear stockpile, run national security research and crunch other classified tasks. How fast is it? Its peak performance is 2.746 exaflops. That’s about 69 million times faster than a top-of-the-line MacBook.

Heads-up, fellow pet owners: Microchipping company Save This Life shut down, so your furry friend’s chip might not be registered anymore. If you’re unsure, take them to a vet or shelter to get scanned. If a number pops up, you should be good to go. Plug it into the AAHA lookup tool to double-check. If the chip is invalid, ask your vet for an alternative.

🧬 Evolution ain't finished: Scientists think we’ll look a lot different in 1,000 years. Theories include darker skin, better-looking faces from selective dating, smaller brains, freakishly long arms, shorter statures, and big eyes made for low gravity and dim light. Oh, and let’s not forget the biohacking and cybernetic upgrades. Here are a few pics.

On the tip of my tongue: Researchers are developing a lickable lollipop that lets you “taste” in virtual reality games. It’s packed with small gel pouches that mix with your saliva to create flavors like salt, sugar, cherry and even milk. (Ew.) An electrical current triggers the flavors, and the voltage controls how much you get. That means game designers can mix and match for custom tastes.

🎣 Gone phishing: I’ve done this with my team. It’s just smart. More companies are phishing their own employees to see how easily they fall for scams. Some are scary, like fake Ebola outbreaks, and others are just plain mean, like a “lost puppy” in the parking lot (paywall link). A weak link can cost you your entire company, so you need to know who needs cybersecurity training.

Are you too young to think about how you’re aging? Probably not. Starting in our 30s, some key cellular processes begin to slow down, making us feel tired and weak over time. But a group of scientists spent 15 years developing a way to combat this decline.

Meet Mitopure® by Timeline, a clinically proven way to increase cellular energy, giving our bodies the energy they need to function optimally. The results? Significant increases in muscle strength and endurance without any change in exercise.

🔧 What’s wrong with my website? Ask your favorite AI chatbot for a critique. At worst, you wasted 30 seconds. At best, you save a bunch of money in consulting fees. Try this prompt: “Analyze my website for usability, design and SEO. Identify issues with the loading speed, mobile responsiveness, readability and navigation. Suggest improvements to enhance user experience, engagement and search rankings.” My result: “Incorporate interactive elements such as polls or quizzes to increase user engagement.” It’s right!

Get some space: I’m always surprised when I see someone’s iPhone home screen covered in icons. It’s easy to sort them into folders. Press on an app icon until it starts to jiggle. Now, move it on top of another one that you’d like to pair it with. Bam, folder. Name it whatever you want.

Level up: You need to start using AI in your business before it’s too late. Take a free test drive of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure now at Oracle.com/kim.*

📲 Whaddaya want? Soon, you’ll know why a business is calling — at least if you use an Android on the AT&T network. Maybe you’ve already noticed official logos pop up when a company calls. Now you’ll see what they want, with no extra app required. Options include appointment and refill reminders, delivery service, and upcoming visits. This is neat, but, of course, now I’m worried when someone will hack this …

Cover up: Keep your doorbell camera safe from rain, snow and the sun’s relentless rays. A silicone cover won’t interfere with night vision and slips on easily. Options here for Google Nest and Ring.

LinkedIn growth hack: When it comes to followers, 150 is a magic number. Once you reach that many, your page will grow nine times faster than pages with fewer than 150 followers. If you run a biz, ask your employees (and everyone else you know) to follow. Psst, if you’re hiring, use my link to post a job for free.*

Scan the action: Here’s a cool trick for when you’re streaming sports on a computer. Use Google Lens on a player’s face or jersey for instant stats. Open Chrome, click the three dots for the Menu and choose Search with Google Lens. Click or drag on the page to see results on the right wpanel.

We’re No. 1! Sorry, pals, but Americans are the most scammed people in the world.

Don’t be that person: A final bit of tech wisdom, brought to you by an embarrassing email mistake I saw a big business make. When you’re sending an email to a group, put your email in the “To:” field and everyone else’s email addresses in the “Bcc:” field. This way, your sendees’ emails are hidden from each other and replies go only to you.

😆 A zen student asked his master, “Is it OK to use email?” “Yes,” replied the master, “but with no attachments.” (I know, that was bad, even for me!)

I’ll see you right back here tomorrow with another issue of the best tech newsletter in the USA. Use the ratings below and leave a few words about why you read my newsletter. Your feedback is super important. Thank you! — Kim